Expired products still sold in KL hypermarkets

Expired products still sold in KL hypermarkets

KUALA LUMPUR - Three hypermarkets in the Klang Valley have been found to be selling 75 products that had exceeded their expiry dates.

The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) said this was discovered following operations conducted on Wednesday and Thursday last week and Monday at the three hypermarkets, which have headquarters in the Klang Valley.

Among the items involved were canned food, spices, baked goods and frozen products, such as fish ball and instant pizzas.

Fomca communications director Saravanan Thambirajah said the offence breached two basic consumer rights, namely, the right for customer satisfaction in relation to basic needs and the right to be informed.

"We have receipts to prove the date of purchase," said Saravanan during a press conference, where Fomca displayed some of the expired products, here yesterday.

It is learnt that the products are still being sold at the premises.

He urged the Health Ministry to call for a review of the Food Regulation Act 1985, so that stiffer penalties could be taken against hypermarkets that breached regulations on expired food products. He also urged manufacturers to properly label their products.

"Some products do not have expiry dates or are labelled in hard-to-find places. There are a lot health risks caused by consuming food that has bacteria, fungus or mould.

"If any shop or hypermarket continues to sell expired goods, action should be taken to ensure consumers' safety."

The punishment for such an offence is a RM30,000 (S$11,700) fine, five years' jail or both.

 

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